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Most Impressive Paper Related with Environmental Issues |
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by Liteboho Senyane | 02-12-2018 23:15
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As a Historical Studies student, I have to take you on a bit of a journey to the past in order to uncover one of the most impressive writings on environmental issues. Bophuthatswana is located in South Africa and was legally recognized as a location for Tswana citizens of black South Africa. Even though donkeys are not indigenous to South Africa, Bophuthatswana became enriched with them so much that there was a terrible incident that erupted in the region concerning environmental issues surrounding the amount of donkeys that the citizens owned. This incident has not been famously written about but Nancy Jacobs wrote a paper on it called the Great Bophuthatswana Donkey Massacre: Discourse on the Ass and the Politics of Class and Grass. This paper, in my personal opinion is one of the most impressive writings concerning environmental issues due to the fact that it looked at the small, seemingly insignificant people of Bophuthatswana and how they suffered as a result of a lack of environmental planning and proper environmental policies. The Donkey Massacre occurred in the 1980s when it became a concern of the colonial government regarded donkeys as a nuisance and hindrance to their economic expansion through cattle rearing. To them, donkeys competed with cattle for pasture and this was bad for their businesses. The donkey massacre saw up to 20, 000 donkeys being slaughtered as a result of lack of proper environmental research being done. Nancy Jacobs argues the case that the case that donkeys competed with cattle for pasture was not properly investigated and that had this investigation been carried out, it would have been realized that these animals live in “over-lapping” environments. This paper is significant with environmental issues because it raises the issue of need to research, investigate and also to comprehend the effects that policies taken to address environmental issues will have on the physical and social environments. At the end of the donkey massacre, disease occurred due to the amount of dead donkeys and blood and the people of Bophuthatswana were negatively impacted. While environmental policies need to address issues concerning the bad practices of people, it must be kept in mind that people rely on certain means (however disruptive they are) as a way of economic survival. Taking away their livelihood is not what environmental awareness should do but instead, targeting environmental issues must also create new livelihood means for such groups. For instance, the colonial policy to slaughter donkeys was through to be a good solution for success in cattle production but the full effects of the massacre were not considered on the people of the Kuruman area. Policies should give people new options, so that they happily realize the good way of doing things instead of imposing new ways that are alien to them. When imposition takes place, a vicious cycle of resenting the policy makers, staying ignorant and continuing to harm the environment goes on. For instance, the people of Bophuthatswana should have been made aware that in drought situations, such as the one that occurred in the 1980s, it would be wise to conserve the natural resources by keeping fewer animals. This paper teaches the brutal and hard to hear lesson that while environmentalists do a good job of telling people what they are doing that is wrong and how to right this wrong, no one is doing anything to give the people new ways of living. For instance, people in rural Africa still depend on the burning of fossil fuels but we know how harmful this is to the environment. Simply telling them to stop will produce no results as long as we do not give them a new way to live. It is simple, all people, rich and poor have to eat. Telling people to stop what they are doing make it seem as if we are saying that they should starve. We need to hear the hard truth that we should, instead, give people alternative lifestyles and choices so that they too understand and do not have to rely on being told they are wrong all the time. It is time-consuming and truthfully, it hurts to always be acknowledged for being the wrong one. It defeats the purpose of ensuring sustained human existence because if no one is happy, then life is not worth it.
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7 Comments
Hello Liteboho
We do know what is wrong and we try to make things right of it by stopping it. However what's being forgotten is that in many times, these wrongs aren't something that is chosen but something that people was forced to do without any alternative. If we see this problem as a policy matter, the role of supporting, complimentary acts on the banning policies are needed and as for technology sector, an aid from its breakthrough on new tech will be of much help to figure out this issue.
Thanks for the report!
Posted 05-12-2018 13:21
Hey there Liteboho!
I was unaware of this massacre that occurred in the 1980s, and it is truely disheartening that such a large number of donkeys had to be slaughter for the benefit of the colonial government. The fact that not a wide spread investigation was done so as to figure out a way to perhaps relocate them, or look into what the possible after effects could be, but just decide to rather slaughter them is appalling.
I am glad that fast forward into 2018, our country is taking careful steps to not have a massacre or massive environmental event similar to the one that occurred in the 1980s.
Thank you so much for your well written report!
Yours sincerely
R.
Posted 04-12-2018 22:23
Liteboho,
It's very sad to hear about that(the massacre of donkeys). At the same time, thanks to the author for doing such a great work.
Thanks for the report.
Posted 04-12-2018 17:55
Thank you for the positive comments...it means a great lot to me!
Posted 04-12-2018 00:37
Thank you for your report.
Glad to know that we have Historical Studies Student in our team.
I hope we get to read more reports from you. We are proud to have you as fellow ambasssdor.
Posted 03-12-2018 17:13
Hello Liteboho Senyane, Namaste
Hope you fine, fit and healthy
This is really sad incident, as a student of veterinary science, it hurt me more, without appropriate research 20, 000 donkeys were slaughtered, this is so brutal act.
This thing teaches us, proper study and research lead us to positive change.
We must search for sustainable alternative idea for anything in the world.
Thank you so much for your report.
Posted 03-12-2018 17:07
This is really saddening. Imposing news ways on people in the name of 'conservation' is inhumane.
Posted 03-12-2018 15:37